Red leather gloves
Red leather gloves (Gloves), 1600-1650Gloves like this were sometimes practical (e.g. for riding or keeping the hands warm) but more often they were signs of being ‘decently dressed’ when not engaged in manual labour, and an important part of middling clothing’s ‘show-off’ qualities – accessories that allowed men and women to introduce a note of luxury into their dress.
Gloves were sometimes given as courtship gifts or as new year’s presents, marked out as special personal items. In Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale, Autolycus is selling ‘Gloves as sweet as damask roses’, the word ‘sweet’ showing that the leather could be perfumed, thus making them a desirable luxury item, but on a small scale – less expensive and flashy than a gown or cloak, for instance (although they could be expensive and highly decorated).
Middling sitters in portraits are often shown holding gloves as a sign of their status and taste (you will see them elsewhere in this exhibition), and sometimes the authority of their office-holding. These gloves are marked out by their bright colour and embellishment or detailing.
This object appears in our memory parlour and web tour. Can you find it?
| Object Type | Gloves |
| Year | 1600-1650 |
| Material | Leather |
| Owned By | SBT 1992-87 |
| Keywords | self-fashioning; wearing; owning; assets; civic; money; reputation; officeholding leather; clothing |
| Image Credit | Gloves (1600-1650), SBT 1992-87, CC-BY-NC-ND; Image Courtesy of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. |